The Penn's Grove record., 1887-04-30

Experience Of q PennsgroVc BOY
a. "a Cow Boy ON The pIains.

'hS htHIHti VI lut 0ltAltitlin tuiloiob-
ing of layers Of prairie sod, which packs
very tightly and forms a solid weather
tight wall, excluding both heat and
cold much more effectively than wood
en- frame houses, so common in most
American settlements. A small store
house containing three months provis-
ion stands apart, and a double corral,
roughly built of cottonwood logs,
serves as a branding pen.
When the times CONES to turn in,
we unroll our bedding and "whack
down" on the bare floor, packed as
closely as sardines. Small comforts
there, and had it not been for the shell
ter afforded from wind and rain, l
should have preferred sleeping in the
open air. A COW boys life with It's
hardships, isolation. and dangers, de-
velops all the sterner manly qualities
in a higher degree. However, my COM
panions rough and uncouth in manner
and speech were all good fellows,
Sometimes they are s|hockingly cruel,
hasty in temper, and unbridled in tom
que. In the branding pen, and with
a half broken, tired, or unwilling horse
he is a perfect feud; his contempt for
life too often leads to needless blood
shed; and he is uutiring as AN Indian
in pursuit Of revenge. With Tim it
is frequently not a word and a blow,
but a word and a bullet.
The country is alive with game
Deer, antelopes, prairie chickens, quails
ducks aud geese are found in album
dance. and We were often glad that we
could fill the pot with something more
tOothsome than than the everlasting
/ sow-belly, coarse baeon) beans, and
bread. which constituted onr fare for
6 months. But space would fail me
to describe all the varied ALARMS and
and incidents of II life. | cannot
even within the limits of this article
touch upon that part Of the COW boys
duty which relates to the management
| of cattle; the securing Of the plains by
the circle riders; the driving of cows
and calves. bulls, heifers, and steers, to
an appointed place, where brands will
be cut out and the seasons work begun
in downright earnest long days in the
saddle under the burning OF IA pitiless
sun; nights spent in feverish tossing on
the hot, baked ground under the op-
pressive blankets, lying t~entless under
the driving rain, with the soaked prai-
RE for your bed.
a very real and eve present danger
to men who sleep on the ground is the
noisome skunk, WHO attacks sayagely
during the night, IFS bite in this eondi-
tion, being as poisonous as that Of a
mad dog. An alarm Of skunk ,'start
ed in the middle of the night is sutii-
Gent to create quite a panic il camp
Then we have the redbug. 1t is by
no means as large as a grizzly bear, but
he is twice as fierce. He sticks to the
man of his choice like a brother and
even cruel treatment seems to make no
impression on his mind.
Red bugs are about as large as one
Of the periods used in pu|nctuatiug this
article. If you can use them for that
purpose, l will send out for a newly
married pair and by the time they get
here you will have enough topumctuate
your entire paper for "A year. They
marry for all l know; anyhow they set
tie down anywhere and scratch and
worry along until they have about ten
thousands or so in a family. Then
form themselves into little balls on the
end on the end Of a blade Of grass aud
cling together until q man comes along
The moment he shakes the blade OF
grass they drop on linn, and then each
takes a different direction and finds a
suitable spot in which to sink a shaft,
He is capable of going a whole year
without food or shelter, but when of
fered hospitality works it for all it is
worth.
The word prairie signifies meadows.
These natural meadow lands, covered
chiefly with grass, and presenting IN
The summer season, the %grandest dis
play of floral vegetation which the sun
looks down upon. are grouped in three
divisions, as bushy prairies wet or
swampy prairies, and rolling prairles.
These are the gardens of the desert
these the unshorn fields, boundless and
beautiful. the prairies, | behold them
for the drst. and my heart swells, while
the dilated sight takesin the eneircling
yastuess. "-Brgdat.
II a bun leads "a herd going to pas
ture rain must beeXpected. The small
est tract Of land sold 10y the govern
meut is a "Quarter-Q uarter-seclion
; which contains 40 acres. a section Is
/ mile square or $40 acres. A town
ship is 6 miles square containing ~ see
tious. Hence a township is 230io
5 acres. Tie price Of Uncle Sam'S land
is Sl.25 per acre. No credit is given,
a citizen Tor foreigner who has deciaf-
ed his intention to become one Wh'l
has settled upon an un%approprla'ed
Quarler-section (160 acresl and has
erected "a building with a window aha
> a door in il, acquires the right Of pre-
emtion," that is the right to purchase
that 1860 acre plot at the minimum
price Sl.25 per acre. He is permitted
! to take mp, without payment OF any
|. price except certain fees sl.23 Tor lou
acres or $3.50 for so acres. Bat the
patent or deed viii not be issued until
he has resided on it for i've years a
description Of a 40 acre lot would read
> thus: the southwest quarter OF Seet'oi'